Word to the Wise
Sunday, December 11, 2016 - 3rd Sunday of Advent - A
[Isa 35:1-6a, 10; Jas 5:7-10; Matt 11:2-11]SUNDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2016 THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT [Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11] "Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?" Jesus said to them in reply, "Go and tell John what you hear and see..." [Matthew] The disciples of John the Baptist ask Jesus a fundamental question: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" Jesus points to what he has been doing in his ministry and tells them to describe that to John. In reflecting on John the Baptist, Jesus further says, "Among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Jesus' reply to John's disciples and his comment about John are important for us. We who are baptized are "citizens" of the Kingdom of heaven. We may not be the best of citizens at times but by virtue of our baptism we are "configured" with Christ. [Cf. Romans 6:3-5]. This, according to Jesus, puts us in a class above John the Baptist! However, there is no gloating to do. People who are aware of our faith are looking for an answer to John's question. Are we really who we claim to be? Faithful Christians? Can we reply, "What do you see and hear from me?" In this season of Advent, by our faith and actions, we can give extra meaning to something we do all year. We can give birth to Christ in the hearts and minds of those to whom we bear witness. Or do we say, by our lack of faith and actions, "Not me! Find somebody else." Hope can be especially scarce for some people this time of year. As the "least in the Kingdom of heaven," can we give birth to hope at this time? AMEN
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